All directions point to Bayern Munich. Kim Min-jae’s move to Munich is imminent.
“Munich CEO Jan Christian Dresden spoke about the possible transfers of Kim Min-jae, Harry Kane, and Kyle Walker, as well as the possible departures of Leon Goretzka and Sadio Mane,” Germany’s TZ reported on the 18th (KST).
The CEO officially confirmed that Kim’s departure was imminent. “Kim is expected to sign a contract in the next few days,” Dresden said.
It was a clear and decisive answer. Compare that to the recent response to Walker, who has been heavily linked. “Walker is a player for another club. I’m not going to comment on players from other clubs, I’ll talk about it when the time comes.” When asked about Kane’s departure, he also avoided giving a specific answer, saying, “Pulling the grass doesn’t make it grow faster.”
It’s a clear indication that a move is imminent, with Thomas Tuchel also indirectly referring to the player. Tuchel held his official press conference ahead of the 2023-24 season on Friday.
There were questions about the squad, the new additions to the team, and the players who are currently being heavily rumored to leave. First up was Kane. Tuchel was cautious in his response. “I’m not going to comment on players who are not under contract with us. But we are watching the situation. If we are convinced that a player will help us, we will do everything in our power.” He was evasive in his answer.
But his response to the Kim question was different from his response to Kane. It was bold. Tuchel said: “We want to replace Luca Hernandez well, and it’s no secret who should take his place. I’m not going to mention names because it might not help the negotiations at the moment, but we will try to announce it soon,” he said, indirectly referring to Kim Min-jae.
New Napoli coach Rudi Garcia has already confirmed the news. “We know that Kim Min-jae is leaving. It’s very sad, but I hope to keep all our star players,” he said. In fact, Kim was not named in Napoli’s preseason roster, further strengthening his case for a move to Munich.
Buyout deadline, has it passed?
Napoli recognized the value and potential of Kim Min-jae early and inserted a “buyout” clause. The buyout is a set amount that allows a club that wants to sign Kim to pay Napoli a promised buyout amount and then negotiate a direct transfer with Kim without consulting Napoli.
Kim’s buyout was reportedly 50 million euros (approximately $71 billion won). This is the amount that Napoli and Kim agreed upon at the time of the transfer. However, there are conditions to trigger the buyout. It was reported that the buyout can only be triggered by a foreign club between July 1 and 15.
Kim’s buyout was triggered at 7 a.m. KST on July 16. It was known that Munich would have to pay Napoli €50 million by that time in order to negotiate directly with Kim. Numerous local media outlets had also stated this, suggesting that the deal would be finalized before the 16th.
However, the deadline has passed and things are still quiet. This suggests that the timeframe for triggering the buyout may be different than what has been publicized. In fact, the amount of Kim’s buyout is not exactly clear. Some media outlets put it at €48 million, while others claimed it was €50 million, so we can assume that the trigger period is also somewhat different.
Of course, there are also claims that Munich has already paid the buyout. Fabsirio Romano, a journalist familiar with European soccer news, said: “Despite recent rumors, there is no problem with Kim Min-jae heading to Munich. He is a Munich player who triggered his release clause on July 8 after completing a medical. All that remains is to sign the papers and there are no problems. The official announcement is imminent.”
“This has never happened before in Munich” – medical test
Munich has concluded all personal negotiations with Kim Min-jae. He has already completed his medical. The German ‘Bild’ reported on the 7th, “This has never happened before in Munich. Kim Min-jae served in the military for six days. However, instead of traveling to Germany for the Munich medical, Kim stayed in Korea. This is the craziest medical test in the history of Munich. The official announcement will be made in the next few days.”
Munich has been very proactive. Kim Min-jae was discharged from military basic training on June 6, and news of the medical test broke shortly thereafter. The Munich medical team has already touched down in South Korea, and Kim has reportedly traveled to Seoul to undergo medical tests.
Florian Plettenberg, a reporter for Germany’s Sky Sports, said on June 6, “Kim will complete his medical tests in South Korea. The Munich medical team arrived in South Korea a few hours ago and is on site. Munich will trigger the €50 million ($70.8 billion) buyout in the next few days. The contract runs until June 2028,” the source said, adding that Munich will finalize the deal soon.
It was expected that if Kim was released from prison, he would immediately begin the transfer process and wear a Munich jersey. But it was more complicated than that. The Italian newspaper Il Matino reported, “Munich and Kim have completed all the formalities. However, there is a huge amount of money involved, including payments to the clubs he played for, and the value of the money Napoli will have to pay is constantly changing,” explaining the delay.
However, an official announcement is expected soon. “However, there is no doubt that Kim Min-jae will move to Munich,” Il Martino continued. He has already undergone a medical. The only question is whether the transfer will be announced in Lake Tegernsee or in South Korea. The journalist covering the transfer noted that ‘Kim will swim the Atlantic Ocean to Munich if necessary’.”
Munich is ready… but won’t spend 100 million on Kim Min-jae?
Munich have already made all the preparations to sign Kim Min-jae. Plettenberg reported on March 16 that “Munich are preparing to say goodbye to Hernandez and Benjamin Pavard. They are focusing on signing Kim Min-jae. Munich are currently working on a verbal agreement with Kim Min-jae. The talks went well and the pace will increase after the end of the A-match period.”
Hernandez is a former Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) player. Munich will use the money from Hernandez’s sale to acquire Kim Min-jae. From Munich’s perspective, it’s a perfect swap. They’re bringing in Kim for €50 million and selling Hernandez for €45 million. It’s as if the Bavarians got him for €50 million.
On its official social media channels, the UK’s 90min released an illustration of Kim coming through the door and Hernandez going out the door, with the caption “One defender in, one defender out. Will they be happy?”.
Dortmund’s Kim Min-jae scores a goal, now he has his sights set on the Meisterschaft
On May 27, Dortmund drew 2-2 with Mainz in the final match of the 34th round of the 2022-23 German Bundesliga season at the Zignale Iduna Park in Westphalia, Germany. The result leaves Dortmund (71 points) in second place on goal difference behind Munich (71 points), who won 2-1 at Cologne.
Going into the match, it was Dortmund who were closest to the Bundesliga trophy – the Meisterschaft. With 70 points, Dortmund had a game in hand over Munich (68). Many pundits even predicted Dortmund’s victory in the final match at home. But after 90 minutes, it was Munich who had the last laugh. The Bavarians had won the Meisterschaft for the 11th consecutive year.
For the 12th consecutive year, Kim Min-jae will try to win the title. Kim has already won a Scudetto for the first time in 33 years. He joined Napoli last summer and immediately became a key player. He was trusted by coach Luciano Spalletti. He has been hailed as a brilliant signing, helping the club win its first Scudetto in 33 years.
A ‘monster’. He had a season rating of 7.43 (10th in Serie A), a passing accuracy of 75.1% per 90 minutes (1st overall), 1.2 interceptions per 90 minutes (52nd overall), and 3.6 clearances per 90 minutes (23rd overall) according to soccer stats site Footmob. 토토사이트
Kim has swept the awards this season. In September, he was named Italian Serie A’s Serie A Secretariat Player of the Month, and in October, he was named Italian Footballers’ Association Player of the Month. This makes him the first defender to win the honor since Kalidou Koulibaly in the 2021-22 season.
After winning the Scudetto, Kim was also named to the Italian Serie A Team Of The Season (TOTS) for the 2022-23 season. Add to that the Best Defender award, and you have a defender who has swept all the awards available to him.
Competition for the starting job? No worries!
Even if Kim Min-jae joins Munich, he won’t be able to avoid fierce competition for a starting spot. The Bavarians already have two world-class center backs. De Ligt and Upamecano. Kim will have to fight for playing time with both of them.
It’s likely that Kim and De Ligt will be paired together. This is because Upamecano made a number of costly mistakes last season, conceding goals at crucial moments that led to the team’s defeat. Of course, Upamecano is one of the keys to Munich’s defense. His pace and solid physicality allow him to cover the space in the back for Munich’s high line.
However, he is vulnerable to strong pressure. He”s also mentally weak. If he makes a mistake in a game, he tends to have a sharp mental breakdown and continues to make mistakes. In particular, in last season’s UEFA Champions League (UCL) quarterfinals, he made a series of mistakes that contributed to a 1-4 loss to Manchester City.
“Dayo Upamecano’s big mistakes against Borussia Mönchengladbach and Manchester City led to serious defeats,” said Germany’s Sky Sports on March 13.
“Upamecano should not be a starter next season. He should be a backup to Matthijs de Ligt and the new signing Kim Min-jae.”
Torben Hoffmann, Sky Sports’ dedicated Munich reporter, added: “If Thomas Tuchel goes with a back three, it could be De Ligt, Kim Min-jae and Upamecano. It would be a three-way battle. But in the long run, if it’s a back four, Kim and De Ligt will form a center back duo.”